The West Downs Gallery

The West Downs Gallery

Creativity is highly valued at the University. We are immensely proud of the extensive and diverse art collection on display in our buildings and throughout our grounds.

Much of our art collection dates back to the days of King Alfred's College when we delivered teacher training courses with specialisms in art. We continue to commission and collect works of art, and we work to support emerging local and regional artists. A rolling programme of exhibitions by contemporary artists is organised within our gallery.

The West Downs Gallery is sited within the West Downs Centre on Romsey Road, our flagship campus developmentd. The Gallery hosts a programme of exhibitions across the year, and aims to show creative work of the highest quality to inspire debate and participation between creative professionals, academics, students and the public.

To be added to our mailing list about upcoming exhibitions please contact visualart@winchester.ac.uk.

Current exhibition

Andrew Carnie
Being Human: Seeing Ourselves

11 October - 15 December 2023

To move forward, sometimes we need to look back. To 'place' ourselves in a healthy state of well-being we can examine our depleted interactions with the natural rhythms of life, the daily and seasonal environmental changes that are further removed from us now than at any point in the previous two centuries of industrialisation. Andrew Carnie’s Being Human: Seeing Ourselves is a unique artist’s exploration of the human body; how it works and how it interacts with the cycles of nature.
 
Andrew Carnie is a highly regarded artist in Europe and North America, where his large-scale immersive works frequently feature video projections. This new show offers a rare chance to see his new work in the UK, featuring new physical formats such as animated sculptures which represent a critical change of direction after a period of intensive research. The artworks in the show include solar-powered drawing machines, inflatable weather balloons and pocket-hung paintings which incorporate watercolours created by staff and students of the university during workshops run by Andrew.

Andrew is running two more drop-in workshops open to all, based in the Cafe Life next door to the gallery in the West Downs Centre. These will take place on Thursday 16th November and Wednesday 22nd November, from 3pm-6pm. There will be lots of materials to work with including felting, drawing and watercolour. His plan is to continue to involve staff and students in making new co-authored work for the continuing gallery show.

For more details of Andrew’s work visit his website.

Upcoming exhibitions

Lettering Arts Trust -'The Nereids', mid-February through March 2024

Visiting the West Downs Gallery

The Gallery is open from 8am until 6pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am until 4pm on Saturdays. The West Downs quarter is a short walk from the city centre. As there is no car parking on campus for visitors, we encourage you to make use of the Winchester Park & Ride, or to use public transport. Buses stop directly outside the West Downs Centre on the Romsey Road. To keep up-to-date with the latest Gallery news please follow us on Instagram or email visualart@winchester.ac.uk to be added to our mailing list.

Exhibiting at the West Downs Gallery

All exhibition proposals are considered by the Vice Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Art, which usually convenes twice a year. There is no charge to exhibit in the Gallery, but the University charges a 30% commission on sales.

If you are interested in submitting an exhibition proposal please contact visualart@winchester.ac.uk in the first instance, and details of the selection procedure will be supplied.